Collapsible trunk, suitcase, and the like



E. N. KENNEDY COLLAPSIBLE TRUNK, SUITCASE, AND THE LIKE Oct. 9, 1928.

Filed April 17, 1925- Svweuboz E N. Kennedy. um/nu s disclosed in my prior Patent No.

Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES PAT NT oFrl-cs.

ERNEST NORBERT KENNEDY, or Lennon, ENGLAND.

' COLLAPSIIBLE 'IERUNK, SUITCASE, AND THE LIKE. I

Application filed April 17,1925. Serial No. 23,767.

This invention relates to trunks, suitcases,

and the like of the kind which comprises two. telescopically arranged parts adapted to be connected together by means .of extensible fastening devices, so that when the trunk or suitcase has been packed, the two parts there of may be collapsed, or pressed one toward the other, so as to securely hold'the contents against undesired movement, the fastening devices being-so arranged as to hold the two parts of the trunk, suitcase or the like in any telescoped or collapsed condition of the parts thereof. I

A trunk or suitcase of this kind has been 1,508,142 issued September 9, 19241 In trunks or suitcases of. this kind some difficulty may be experienced inopeningor swinging the upper part'or' lid about'the extensible hinge devices between the same and the lower part of the trunk or suitcase, particularly in the fully telescoped or collapsed condition of the parts, ifthe parts fit closely together and the front walls thereof are perpendicular to the topand'bottom walls respectively of said parts. This difficulty is avoided in the patent above mentioned by making the partsof the suitcase of rhembic cross section with the front and rear-walls of the parts parallel but inclined-with respect to the top andbottom walls.

The object of the present. invention is to provide a former forms of trunk, suitcase, or the like of the telescopic or-collapsible kind indicated above, having the partsthereof arranged so that the one'part orlid may be I readilyswung about the hinge devices between the same and the other'part', even in the fully telescoped or collapsed conditionof the parts.

According to the invention one or the other of the two parts of the trunk,.suitcase orthe like is provided with a'front'w'all which movable to a limited extentinorder that it may give or yieldsuliiciently to enable the upper part or lid of thetrunkor suitcase to be swung about the hingemembers to open the trunk or suitcase. If desired the front walls of both parts of the trunk or suitcase may be made movable in this way.

The invention isillustrated in different formsthereof in' the accompanying drawings, in which:

. Figure 1 ls-a cording'to the extentto which said lower diagrammatic representation of a collapsible or telescopic suitcase having the front wall of the lower part thereof made movable in accordance with the invention.

Fig.2is a similarview of a modificd'form of suitcase having the front waliofthe upper part or lid of the suitcase pivotally movable. Fig. 3 is a similar-view of another modified form of suitcase having the front wall of the upper part or lid slidably movable, and

'of extensible fastening devices which 'as Fig. l is a view of a further modification shown comprise extensible hinge devices 8' at the rear of the suitcase and extensible looking devices at the front of the'suitcase. These extensible fastening devices may be of any suitable form, for example the form shown in the prior-patent above referred to,

or the form shown in the copending applica tion Serial No.'23,768, fil'edApri-l 17, 1925. So. far as the presen't invention is concerned it is sufiicient to state that these extensible devices comprise two :parts 5 and 6, one'of which is provided with a ratchet rack element while the other is provide with a pawl elementadaped to engage said rack element in the closed or locked condition. of the parts shownin F ig; I in order to prevent extension of said fastening devices and to hold the parts of the suitcase securely in the'telescoped or collapsed condition thereof. The

parts 5 of these fastening devices are secured to thevupper part or lid of the suitcase and the parts 6- of the hingedevices are pivotally connected to hingemembers 7 secured to the lower part of the suitcase. The parts '6 o fthe locking devices 4; have pivotally connected to the lower ends thereofhasp memsecured to the lower part 1 of't'he suitcase. When the hasps 8 are/released from the locks and turned by suitable springs into a posi tion perpendicular to that shown the pawl elementsare released from the'rack'elements vbers 8 adaptedv to coact with suitable locket) engaged with the locks 9 the pawl elements are 111 engagement with the rack elements and the lid 2 may be pressed down to such extent as may be necessary to securely hold the contents of the suitcase between the two parts 1 and 2 thereof, the pawl elements on gaging the ratchet racks to securely hold the upper part or lid against upward movement.

According to the present invention the front wall 10 of the lower part 1 of the suitcase is made movable relatively to the remainder of said part and as shown it is hingedly connected in any suitable manner at its lower edge with the bottom wall of said part 1 so as to be capable of an inward or rearward movement. The front edges 11 of the side walls 12 of said lower part1 will be upwardly or rearwardly inclined as indicated to permit the desired movement of said front'wall 10, and the spaces left between the ends of said front wall 10 and the front edges 11 of the side walls 12 may be closed in any suitable manner as, for example, by providing the collapsible sections 13 between said side walls and said front wall, which sections may also serve to limit the forward or outward movement of said front wall.

It will be understood that with this arrangement of the parts, when the upper part or lid is swung about the hinge members 7 to open said lid the front wall 10 of the lower part 1 will give or yield inwardly or rearpath taken by the lower part of the front.

wall 15 of the lid. If desired suitable springs or the like may be provided, for example between the front wall 10 and the lower wall of the part 1, normally tending to hold the front wall 10 in its outermost position as shown in Fig. 1. i

In the modified Fig. 2 the front wall 15 of the upper part or lid 2 of the suitcase is made movable, being hingedly connected in any suitable manner with the top wall of said lid, so as to yield or move outwardly about said hinge connection from the fullline position shown in Fig. 2 to a position such as that indicated in the dotted lines in the figure. The side edges of the front wall 15 may if desired be connected with, the front edges of the side walls 16 of the lid, for example by means of collapsible sections such as the sections 13v shown in Fig. 1, or as shown the said front wall 15 may form of suitcase shown in be provided with side flaps 17 arranged to overlie the front parts of the side walls 16. If desired means may be provided, such as the pin and slot connections 18, between said side flaps 17 and side walls 16, to limit the outward or swinging movement of said front lid 2 of the suitcase is arranged to have a forward or outward sliding movement relatively to the remainder of said part or lid. Said front wall 19 is shown as provided with side flaps 20 arranged to overlie the side walls 21 of the lid and pin and slot connections 22 are provided between said side flaps and said side walls serving to guide and to limit the forward or outward movement of the side or moved into the open position Fig. 3 the front wall 19 of the upper part or wall 19. The upper edge of the front wall 19 and the front edge of the top wall of: the

part or lid 2 may be connected by means of a J collapsible section. so as to avoid having a space between these edges when the front wall is moved outwardly. I

It will be readily understoodthatwhen the upper part or lid is swung about the hinge members 7. the said front wall 19 will yield or give outwardly sulficiently to enable said part or lid to be readily moved into the open position.

In the modified form of suitcase shown in Fig. 4 both the front wall 10.0f the lower part 1, and the front wall 15 of the upper part-or lid 2 are made movable. The wall 10 of the lower part 1 may be movably arranged in the same manner as described with reference to Fig. 1 and the wall15 of the upper part or lid 7 may be arranged in the same manner as described with reference-to Fig. '2, orin the manner described with reference to Fig. 3. With both walls arranged to yield or move in this'way the extent of movement of each will be less than when only one wall is arranged to be movable. 7

It will be understood that the arrangements shown in the drawings are somewhat exaggerated for the purpose of clearly indicating the necessary movements and that in the actual suitcase or trunk the movements of the parts necessary will be relatively small. I It will also be, understood that while the inventionhas been specifically described as applied to a suitcase it may be equally well employed in connection with trunksor the like, the only difierence in the case of a trunk being in the depth of the lower part1 thereof. In the case of a trunk arranged according to Figures 1 and 4 itmay only be necessary to make movable the upper part of the front wall of the lower part of the trunk depending upon the extent to which the upper part or lid is made, to telescope over the lower part of the trunk.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I 1. An expansible trunk, suitcase, or the like, comprising two telescopically arranged parts, respectively comprising a top wall and a bottom wall, and side and end walls connected thereto, extensible hinge devices connected at opposite ends thereof to the rear walls of said parts and non-extensible in the closed position of said parts, one of said parts having the front wall thereof movable to a limited extent sufficient to permit the upper or lid part to be swung about said hinge devices in any telescoped position of said parts,

means between said movable front wall and the adjacent walls of the same part for closing the space between said walls in all positions of said front wall, and extensible fastening devices on the front wall of one of said parts adapted to coact with latching means on the front wall of the other part.

2. An expansible trunk, suitcase, or the like, as claimed in claim 1, wherein means are provided between said movable front wall and the adjacent side walls of the same part for limiting the movement of said front wall.

3. An eXpansible trunk, suitcase, or the like, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front wall of the lower or inner telescopic part is inwardly or rearwardly movable.

4. An expansible trunk, suitcase, or the like, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front wall of the lid or upper telescopic part is outwardly or forwardly movable.

5. An expansible trunk, suitcase, or the like, as claimedin claim 1, wherein the front walls of both "of said telescopic parts are movable, the wall of the lower or innerpart being inwardly movable. and the wall of the upper part or lid being outwardly movable.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

E. NORBERT KENNEDY. 

